Melodie's Song [The Black Dahlia Hotel 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)
Page 14
The best news was that her last surgery had been successful, and there was barely any scar left on her face at all. She had pulled her dark hair up into a loose bun on top of her head, and it was surrounded with a coronet of baby roses and orchids, which matched her bridal bouquet. With good makeup, the scar was now invisible. She had felt no need to cover her face with a veil for her wedding. Dr. Goldman and his wife were among the guests, and that was the best present he could have given her for this day. The white lace wedding dress, beaded with seed pearls, had a short train that she would be unbuttoning from under the bustle before the dancing began.
The weather was beautiful and warm, with a cool breeze blowing over the lake. Melodie took a deep breath. This was it. The moment she’d been waiting months for had arrived. Sam got out of the carriage and helped Pansy down. Melodie had to grin to herself. She hoped the maid of honor and the best man didn’t kill each other today—she didn’t want any blood on her wedding dress. Then he reached up to assist Melodie. When she was standing on the ground, she adjusted her skirts, the coronet of flowers in her hair, and her bridal bouquet. She reached up and kissed Sam’s cheek as he took her arm.
“You look beautiful, Melodie, and I’m very proud to be your dad. You’ve been through a lot, Punkin’, and handled it all like a champ.”
“Thanks, Dad. I couldn’t have had a better father, and I’m glad you’re here to walk me down the aisle.”
Melodie saw that her mother and sister had started crying buckets when the carriage pulled up. Pansy was her maid of honor, and was walking down the aisle in front of her, clearing the way as always. Melodie hoped she would be able to keep her tears of joy contained, at least until after the photographs had been taken. She could already feel them backing up in her throat.
Jack and Kaylin, Chloe and J.J., and Nikki and Dan had flown up from Florida for the wedding. Gabriella was involved in a big trial, and she and Miguel had not been able to come. Bunches of their New York friends from the neighborhood and Le Club, including Barbara Brown and Ross Blackstone, were there. Logan’s grandparents were seated up front, and her parents and his grandfather had come in on the same flight from Phoenix. Jasper and Max were sitting on the aisle, and she gave them a little finger wave. Jasper had been invaluable in helping to get the wedding plans finalized on time. She couldn’t have done it without him.
Logan’s mother and some of her friends from Juilliard had formed a string quartet to play during the ceremony. She couldn’t believe how everything had come together. The reception following the ceremony was being held at Tavern on the Green. They had been lucky to get the date on relatively short notice when there had been a cancellation, the reason for which she didn’t want to know. It was enough that they had been able to book the iconic location for their reception.
As the music began, Melodie and Sam started up the white satin runner rolled out over the lawn. A sprinkling of cherry blossoms blew from the trees and caught in the breeze. Natural pink confetti. How appropriate.
When they reached the small tent at the head of the aisle, Sam handed her off to Logan and took his seat beside her mother. Logan took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. He’d been her rock—there for her at every turn. He had even flown back from Chicago during the concert tour to be there for her surgery. She was grateful that he’d been the one to hold her life in his hands on that day two-and-a-half years ago when she thought it might be ending.
Logan. Beautiful Logan. He was everything. He looked so handsome in a traditional black tuxedo that complemented his austere good looks. But today, she knew she was the pretty one. He told her that every single day.
The minister started the ceremony with the traditional words. They whispered the private vows they had composed for each other, and then he pronounced them man and wife. Logan swept her into his arms and kissed her like not another soul was there. It was magical.
* * * *
Logan held Melodie close and then he kissed the tears off her cheeks. He was never going to let this woman go. “I love you, baby. You are everything—the light, the dark, the sun, the rain.”
As they turned to walk down the aisle, the quartet began to play Melodie’s Song. She hadn’t known that was coming. He’d reworked the score for strings and provided the music to his mother a month ago. It sounded good. The raw, exquisite beauty of the piece sounded right for this moment. They walked back down the aisle, and he lifted her back into the horse-drawn carriage for the ride to Tavern on the Green.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was born in New Jersey and grew up an only child on a small farm in the “Garden State.” My father grew acres and acres of flowers for commercial florists and various produce, such as tomatoes. My high school years were spent at Wayne Hills High School, where I was not one of the popular, preppy kids, or one of the hoods—which kind of left me in limbo as I wasn’t one of the brainiacs either. Weekends were spent going into “the City” and Greenwich Village with my friends and doing a lot of things I probably shouldn’t have—don’t tell my grandkids!
After attending Katharine Gibbs School in Montclair, New Jersey, I began a career as a legal secretary and then a paralegal. I moved to Florida and currently live in Davie, Florida, with my dog, Snickerdoodles, aka The Dude. I was married for eight years but have been single for many years. My major addiction is jewelry, but any kind of shopping will do for a fix!
After my longtime job as a paralegal was ended by the economic downturn, I decided to turn lemons into lemonade and finally write the stories I’d had in my head for many years. I had always wanted to write romance novels, but my family and job kept me too busy.
My major interest aside from my family and friends is horses. I enjoy putting an animal character into my stories if possible. I am extremely “low-tech” and probably should have been born in the 1800s, as I enjoy driving a horse and buggy for fun. I also enjoy horseback riding, but the ground has gotten harder and farther away over the years.
I have a small farm and vacation home in Ocala, Florida, which is my favorite place in the world. There’s nothing as wonderful as swinging in the hammock in the shade and listening to the music of the wind in the pines while cuddled under a quilt reading a good book.
Books have always been my escape into love and adventure, and through reading, I have been able to be many people, do many things, and go to many wonderful places I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to be, do, or see.
I hope that all hardworking women who have a moment to put up their tired feet and relax with a cup of coffee—or a glass of wine—will feel like they have had the opportunity to enjoy a trip to beautiful South Florida, my own backyard. I hope they also enjoy getting to meet my fantasy friends and experiencing something new and different with a touch of hot romance thrown in for good measure!
New adventures with old and new friends will continue with this new Black Dahlia Hotel Series.
For all titles by Skye Michaels, please visit
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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